President Trump 'surprised' long-time friend and Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged in Florida prostitution ring

President Donald Trump is presented with a New England Patriots jersey from Patriots owner Robert Kraft, right, and head coach Bill Belichick during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (Susan Walsh / AP)

Robert Kraft is a real pal and Patriot — just ask his friend, President Trump.

Police in Southern Florida on Friday revealed the New England Patriots owner was implicated in a months-long investigation into alleged prostitution and sex trafficking rings, allegedly operated out of local massage parlors and spas. He was charged with two counts of solicitation and a warrant is being issued for his arrest.

Advertisement

Trump expressed shock over the news, telling reporters he was “surprised” his long-time friend was caught up in in the sting operation, which has so far yielded more than two dozen arrests.

In a statement issued Friday afternoon, Kraft's spokesman said that they “categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity.”

The President also pushed back against the solicitation allegations, emphasizing that the 77-year-old widower “denies” any wrongdoing. But authorities said the franchise owner, who has a residence in Palm Beach, was twice caught on video paying women for sexual favors at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter.

“Loyalty is important to me, and he has been a wonderful friend,” Kraft previously told the New York Times. “I think one of the great problems in the country today is the working poor, the middle class, that there hasn’t been growth in income on an equal basis, and I really think the policies he’s going to bring to bear are going to be great for the economic side of America.

During an interview with the New York Daily News in 2017, Kraft said the President helped him through “the most depressing year of my life” after his wife, Myra Kraft passed away in 2011.

“When Myra died, Melania and Donald came up to the funeral in our synagogue, then they came for memorial week to visit with me,” he said.

“Then he called me once a week for the whole year, the most depressing year of my life when I was down and out. He called me every week to see how I was doing, invited me to things, tried to lift my spirits. He was one of five or six people that were like that. I remember that.”

Advertisement

The pair were often seen on television screens sitting side by side in Kraft’s owner suite in Foxborough and their friendship even landed Kraft an invitation to Trump’s pre-inauguration dinner.

The long-time friends don’t always agree though — Kraft fired back with a public statement in September 2017 amid the NFL National Anthem controversy, shortly after the President ripped into the athletes opting to kneel.

“Would you love to see NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say, to say, ‘Get that son of a b---- off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s Fired!’” Trump said during a rally in Alabama.

“You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it but they’ll be the most popular person in the country.”

Kraft said he was “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s remarks on the movement.

“I am proud to be associated with so many players who make such tremendous contributions in positively impacting our communities. Their efforts both on and off the field, help bring people together and make our communities stronger,” he said.

“There is no greater unifier in the country than sports, and unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics. I think our political leaders could learn a lot from the lessons of teamwork and the importance of working together toward a common goal. Our players are intelligent, thoughtful and care deeply about our community and I support their right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner they deem impactful.”

Kraft, only a few weeks off the Patriots’ most recent Super Bowl win, has been invited along with the rest of the team to celebrate their victory at the White House. It’s unclear whether the President’s pal will make it out in light of his recent solicitation charges.